Tigmanshu Dhulia to make a movie on 'Hamlet'

After the critical success of Paan Singh Tomar, expectations are high for Tigmanshu Dhulia. The versatile filmmaker who rode in with a dark horse of a biopic and rode out with accolades galore is now all set to direct a movie version of the popular Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet. For this directorial venture, he'll be reuniting with producers Goldie Behl and Shrishti Arya after a gap of more than a decade.

Tigmanshu Dhulia

Ironically enough, all the three witnessed their respective films, London Paris New York and Paan Singh Tomar, clash at theaters as they released on the same day. While both the movies did reasonable business at the box office, their makers have now decided to collaborate for an idea they discussed while working together over ten years ago.

Apparently, while working for an Abhishek Bachchan-starrer film back in 2001, Tigmanshu proposed the idea of doing a Shakespearean adaptation of Hamlet in Hindi and Goldie instantly loved it. u00a0Confirms Tigmanshu, "Goldie and I were planning for this project when he made his debut Bas Itna sa Khwab Hai for which I wrote the dialogues. But I guess every film has its destiny as we could not do it back then."

On being asked when exactly the movie is going to hit the production floor, Goldie informs, "We'll begin as soon as Tigmanshu is done with the projects he's currently committed to." u00a0Though none of the parties involved is prepared to reveal who shall be playing the lead roles, Goldie is quick to confide that the story will be contemporary - based in the heartland of India - and the screenplay is coming up.

Shrishti feels the 44-year old director has what it takes to do justice to this ultimate revenge drama and says, "Tigmanshu is the perfect person to take a subject of the scale and size of Hamlet and infuse into it a dimension all of his own."u00a0

Lost and found in the Bard's translation
Shakespearean work always inspired cinema as a whole, not to mention Hindi cinema. Below are some of those movies…
1) Vishal Bhardwaj adapted Macbeth and Othello to create Maqbool and Omkara respectively.
2) The warring families and the concluding suicides in Ek Duuje Ke Liye and Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak bore uncanny resemblance to Romeo and Juliet.
3) Gulzar's acclaimed Angoor was loosely based on The Comedy of Errors.
4) Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Eklavya came close to interpreting Hamlet.u00a0